Summer Superstore
by paralighter4ever
Summary: Just a random summer fling in a superstore, huh? We'll see what happens next.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well...hello there. I haven't done this in a whole minute, but I've had a rough couple of days, both mentally and financially. And one of the only ways for me to cope is to take my frustrations and create something. Even if it flops and this doesn't work out, at least I can say I tried. I've been creatively stunted for a long while, and today I think I needed this day specifically to let some steam out. This little story was sitting in my drafts, and aside from the last couple of paragraphs, has been unedited, unfiltered, and un-beta-read. I miss being able to just create and write and see where the chips fall. Hope you enjoy.**

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I didn't hate my job, but I hated everything about it.

The constant moving, pushing and pulling of racks. The monotony of moving merchandise from one place to another, only to see it come right back before your eyes. It's like a haunting ghost, haunting your every move. Why won't people just buy the damn material and go home? Why did everything have to take so much time to execute in this damn establishment?

Was it even an establishment if more people were leaving than staying? And even if new people came into the picture, they never stayed longer for more than a year or two. Because they realize that work is more than just this.

And yet, here I was, still hustling, still making my ends meet. Still wanting more but terrified to move forward.

Everyday was the same, never changing, never learning. Until today.

~oOo~

I wasn't even paying much attention when I heard her. Her family had come in the long line to buy some things in one of our store carts, and me not thinking anything of it, had let my mind wander.

My mind usually whirled on its own, trailing from both exhaustion of the long day, and pondering how soon my first lunch break was. However, inbetween my erratic thought process, this girl's voice stuck out the most. I didn't think she meant for me to hear it, but I did so anyway.

"Momma, why doesn't she look up when she's working?" her little voice called out, not loudly but not softly. Her comment carried on as if she was speaking in normal voice level. I peeked up from my movements of bagging clothes in plastic bags and met her wide green eyes. Her arm was outstretched in my direction, with a small finger pointed directly at me. Her small frame hid behind an older woman with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes.

The woman turned behind her, a slight frown forming on her brow as she looked down at the girl. "Alice! We don't point and ridicule people who aren't like us. That's not nice." She hissed in her ear. The girl named Alice quickly put her hand down, a slight blush coloring her white cheeks.

_We don't ridicule people who aren't like us…_ what did she mean by that? Who was "us"? Weren't we all human and the same?

The buzzer that notified the next open cashier jolted me out of my stupor, sending slight shivers down my spine. The family in question towed near me, and my heart began to pound in my chest like a freight train coming down the tracks. I could feel sweat dewing my palms, my fingers starting to shake as I silently prayed for this family, these two (wait was that three? Who was that guy behind them?) people coming down the aisle to not stop at my register. I didn't even know them, had never seen them before in my life, but I knew people like them already. I'd already been outcasted in high school and my first year of college; I didn't want to feel that way here at work, 2 years later.

The family trotted up to my register, sadly in my case. The woman smiled slightly as she started pulling her things out of the cart. Three shirts from my Sportswear department; two Home department candles; a coloring book from the Baby department; a brown belt from Mens' department. Simple yet direct materials. Alice laid her hands on the surface of the counter of the platform, placing her head in between her hands. I started scanning the items and pushed them aside to not get confused with the next item coming up. A pair of pale white, male hands appeared with a pair of socks, which spooked me out of my mindframe.

"Sorry," the smooth, male voice said, and I looked up at another pair of deep green eyes. What was it about this color that made it stand out today?

I shook my head, looking down and away, hoping I didn't pee in my pants before my break. I cleared my throat and croaked, "It's ok." My lips curled into what I had thought was a smile.

I turned to open the bag of plastic bags next to me and began filling the bought materials with it.

"See, Momma, she only looked at Edward but not me. Is she ok?" Alice whispered loudly. The boy named Edward rolled her eyes at the little girl and away, slight annoyance coming on to his profile.

"Alice! Stop it. I could take back the coloring book if you keep this up!" Her mother snipped at her again in a rushed tone. She turned to me, an apologetic look tinging in the crinkles of her eyes. "I'm so sorry. My daughter is being incredibly _observant _today."

I glanced at the small child, who couldn't be more than eight years old, and smiled a small smile. "It's ok, apparently I do need to look up more." I scanned the coloring book and slid it to her. She took it quickly and smiled a widely, two tooth holes missing inbetween her gummy smile. "Do you have crayons too?" I asked her.

She shook her head no, looking up at her mother. "Can we buy some, Momma, please?" She asked, drawing out the 'please' at the end. Her mother sighed deeply, and Edward reached in the back of his pocket to draw out his wallet.

"I'll pay for it, along with my wallet." He remarked, fishing out a $20 bill. "They can't be more than $5, right?" He was asking me? I had no idea.

My mind ran through the options of first where the crayons were, and how much they could have been…. A small flat carton of Crayola crayons slid over to me from Kate, the cashier beside me. I looked over to her, where I'd just caught her mouthing, "They're $3.99." I nodded and scanned the crayons.

I pressed some buttons to Tender the items out and told him the total amount. He gave me the $20 bill, and I took it out of his fingers. Without looking into those deep green eyes again, I switched out his bill with the change needed, closed the cash register bin, and watched the receipt pop from the printer. I grabbed the receipt and passed it into his hands, they felt a little sticky from the hot, summer air but smooth at the same time. The palm of his hand brushed against the tips of my fingers, and a slight shock came from the contact. We both glanced up and looked away at the same time.

My face flushed hot, the feeling creeping down my neck as I folded all of the items into a plastic bag. I doubled-up the bag just in case it burst open, and Edward slid his fingers from under mine to take it. That shock came up again, and I gasped. His green eyes flashed to me, and I snatched my hand back.

"Come on, guys, your father is waiting outside." Their mother's voice jolted me out of the moment. The Alice girl took Edward's hand, pulling him away. His eyes never left my face, but glanced over to his sister quickly. His lips curled into a quick half-smile as he walked away backwards, finally turning forward. I gulped the large lump in my throat, and turned back to the computer screen, my hands automatically logging me out.

"Bella!" Kate hissed next to me. "He was so cute! The way he couldn't keep his eyes off of you! I'd keep my eye on him." She winked suggestively, which made my cheeks burn even hotter. I needed some air.

I smiled nervously, looking down at my beat up, old black Converse High Tops. "I can't really keep my eye on anybody right now…" I walked around the small island that separated the checkout line from the cashiers.

As I walked past Kate, I heard her add, "Nothing wrong with a little summer fling."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So so sorry I haven't been paying attention to this story as of late. But I'm super happy you guys are enjoying it so far. :) Thank you to Christie Walker for beta-reading this week. **

"_Bella!" Kate hissed next to me. "He was so cute! The way he couldn't keep his eyes off of you! I'd keep an eye on him." She winked suggestively, which made my cheeks burn even hotter. I needed some air._

_I smiled nervously, looking down at my beat up, old black Converse High Tops. "I can't really keep my eyes on anybody right now…" I walked around the small island that separated the checkout lines from the cashiers._

_As I walked past Kate, I heard her add, "Nothing wrong with a little summer fling."_

~oOoOo~

The next day, I came in to work in my uniform, my lunchbox in one arm and my small purse in the other, along with my sweater for the chilly store temperature. The atmosphere was pretty quiet, some customers shopping in the Sportswear section, which was my department. I glanced to the cashier lines to see how many cashiers we had for tonight, so I wouldn't have to be up there again like last time.

Three cashiers. Great. All the more reason for them to call me to do backup, which I hated.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, fast-pacing myself to the back room to sign in for my shift. After signing in and putting my stuff away, I walked out to my department. I was glad that no one was in the back room so I wouldn't have to answer to anyone why I was 10 minutes late.

My feet slowed down when I saw his reddish brown, messy hair in the Men's section across the walkway. A gasp fell out of my mouth, prompting me to hide on the other side of a pole. It seemed silly to hide and stare at someone you barely know, but there was something mysterious about this man.

His back was turned to me, but I could see his hands swiping through the rack of men's' knit shirts. The lights above him made his hair glisten, and I could spot some blonde highlights underneath the red and brown. His head turned slightly, as if a tick had went off in his head. Did he know I was watching? Possibly, given that he turned his head fully around! I gasped again and cursed myself for staring. Footsteps sounded on the white tiles closer to me, chills raised on my arms. The red-haired beautiful stranger found me rigid behind the pole.

His easy, crooked half-smile peeked out a dimple on the side of his right cheek, and my heart contorted, losing my train of thought. "Hi, you work here right? You helped check me out yesterday." His soft, velvet voice spoke around full, pink lips.

"Check you out?" I frowned in confusion, surprised that my voice didn't give way to my nervousness.

"In the checkout line yesterday. You were the cashier who helped with my sister." He pointed his thumb behind his shoulder, where the checkout and cashiers were.

"Ohh, right," I smiled nervously. "But yeah, I work here."

"Good. I mean, that's great. Do you know if they're hiring? I could use a summer job before I go back to school in September." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, shifting from one foot to the next. "I know this is kind of weird to ask, since you're not a manager…"

My shoulders dropped a bit when discussing work. It was weird, how much I wanted to leave this place, the more I met some people wanting to work here. How would this guy be any different? Or maybe he was? "Ohh, um…yeah I'm not a manager. Even though I probably should," I chuckled humorlessly and continued, "But yeah, I would just ask the supervisors up front for an application. Or, just apply online like I did."

He nodded, "Ok, thanks a lot," he glanced to my name tag, which stated Bella with a heart symbol in the shape of the store brand. "Bella." His easy, half-dimpled crooked smile came out again, which made my knees weak and my breath come up short. Just the way he said my name made my heart flutter.

I gulped and looked down for a beat. "You're welcome…" I waited, and he blinked a bit.

"Edward." He held his large hand out for a shake, my small palm raising up to shake his.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Eve/Day. I didn't, not really. I'd passed out at my job and spent Christmas Eve in the hospital. Don't worry, I'm ok now and back home resting. I'm not going back to work until January, so hopefully I'll be fully better until then. I did get presents from my mom though; some makeup from Sephora and a new purse! What did you guys get for Christmas? **

**Here's another new chapter for you. I have some time to myself to figure out where I want this little story to go. Hope you enjoy!**

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After my conversation with Edward, I walked to my section of the store to start working.

The specific tasks of my job varied from day to day, depending on how busy we were. But nine times out of ten, I would be either on the floor adding new merchandise from the back room, or adding older clothes back onto the floor from the fitting room, what the floor associates called "running racks". If it was super slow, I would also make tickets from the clothes that didn't have them, or got pulled off or switched. But that was rare now, considering I was one of the only seasoned part-time workers left in my area, after being here for 2 years. Everyone else was either full-time or a newer worker.

Right now, as the store was still relatively slow, I walked around to see who else I was working with in my section. There were four of us: Kate, Rosalie, Angela, and me.

I saw Kate scanning tickets in the middle of the tops section and waved. "Hi, Kate," I spoke.

Kate looked up and smiled back, "Hey, girl. I saw you talking with that guy again." She added in the teasing tone.

I rolled my eyes, my cheeks starting to blush again. "Yeah, he wanted to see how he could apply here."

She raised her eyebrows in mid-scan. "Apply? Here? In this shithole?" It was her time to roll her eyes. "Wow, he must really need it bad. Maybe he's applying to see you too."

"I don't even know him."

"Not yet, anyway. You've met his family already."

"In passing, in the check-out line. As a cashier. I don't think that counts as an official meeting." My eyes fell to my dirty black Converse sneakers.

"Still, like I said before, there's nothing wrong with a little summer fling –"

"I don't want a summer fling, ok. I already tried that with…_him _and it didn't work out. And that too had started at work…" I shuddered as I trailed off as my mind went back to a year ago. Hand holding had turned into hair-pulling. Conversations into heated arguments. Smiles into stressful, sleepless nights in tears. _He _had come into my life like a freight train, and had left it just as fast. And that was when the nightmares began.

"Hey…" Kate's hand slid on my shoulder, and I blinked back both bad memories and the first wave of tears. "Shit. I'm sorry, honey. I forgot. It's been almost a year, right? Since he left?" I nodded. "He hasn't tried to contact you, has he?" I shook my head, wiping away a stray tear. She sighed deeply, "Good. I mean, I don't know all that had happened, but from what you told me, he was an asshole. And he was a lousy worker here too, making stupid mistakes and stuff. You're better off without him."

I sniffled, prying my eyes away from the floor to look into Kate's deep blue eyes. "Thanks. So, you closing tonight?"

"Yup, got here at 2 and not leaving." She said sarcastically. "I just hope it stays quiet like it's been all day."

I chuckled quietly, looking around the building floor. "Yeah, me too. Do you want to cover the fitting room or should I?"

"Honestly, I don't really care," she chuckled, turning the scanner off and pushing the remainder of the clothes on the small silver rack beside her. "You can take over the fitting room if you want, though."

"Ok, cool." I smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Now that I'm home a lot more often this week, I can come up with more for this fic! :)Enjoy the new chapter. And write a review! I haven't been getting as many reviews for this story. Tell me your thoughts and feelings on this story and characters. Also if you're on Facebook, follow my page DaniPitter's Fanfiction Group.**

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After my shift ended later that night, I waited outside the store for my Uber to come pick me up. I sighed, staring at the car cartoon moving along the map on my phone. Tucking a curl behind my ear, I sat down on the bench beside the store and sighed.

I couldn't wait to go home, if only to an empty house. My mom was away on another one of her week-long vacations, which I was pretty sure was her way of getting out of the house to avoid me. We had a good relationship, but when she got into her 'vacation' moods, she tended to stay away. Sometimes, I'd go with her, just to get away from the stuffy, slow small town of Forks. Other times, I'd felt like staying home. But this time, after my flashbacks of me and _him, _I needed someone to keep me grounded.

I tried to hold back a shudder as _his face, his eyes _came into my mind.

"Bella," one of my bosses Carmen called out as she stepped out, locking the door. "You going to be okay getting home, sweetie? I can give you a ride if you want."

I smiled a bit and shook my head. "No, it's ok. My Uber is around the corner," I said.

Carmen nodded, her long black bangs falling over her face. "Okay then. I'll wait with you though. Just in case." She laid her bag down on the floor and sat next to me on the bench.

"Aww, you don't have to –"

"I want to. I'm the boss, it's important that all of my associates stay safe. Especially after the last time I left you alone…" she frowned, a crease between her groomed eyebrows formed on her makeup-formed face.

I sighed deeply and laid my forehead on her shoulder. "I know. I know. I…he hasn't shown his face in almost a year." I mumbled in her shoulder. Her hand brushed back my hair in a repeating, soothing pattern. I felt her kiss my head, and I sat back up. "It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth and left me to pick up the pieces."

"Knowing him, he'll probably show up when you least expect it," Carmen remarked. "Then, what will you do?"

I sighed deeply, "I have no idea. I'll threaten a restraining order or something."

Carmen laughed, "Yes, a restraining order and a blocking of his number."

"Oh, I've _been _blocked his number, believe that!" I chuckled, then sighed. "But yeah, I really hope I don't ever have to see his face ever again. Even if I don't get a new boyfriend again."

"Ohh I don't know, that guy you were talking to earlier and yesterday seems promising. I gave him an application today." She smirked in my direction.

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my smile and blush. "Well. That's good for him. I guess. But don't get any ideas. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, or special friend or anything. I'm just doing my own thing."

"Ok….if you say so." Carmen smirked and tucked a hair behind my ear. My Uber finally rolled up front near me.

"Well, this is me. Thanks for waiting with me." I said, sliding into the backseat of the blue Ford Taurus.

"No problem, sweetheart. Say hi to your mom for me," Carmen called as she walked to her own car on the other side of the parking lot.

On the ride back home, it gave me a chance to breathe and reflect on my day. As much as I hated my job and its daily duties, at least I had some work friends there I could count on, like Carmen and Kate. Even though Kate has only been there a year and a half and me 2 years, it still felt like I've been friends with her forever. My mind drifted off to the past year, some good memories with my work friends, and other bad memories with _him. _I shook my head to rid of those horrible memories, but they kept rising in the back of my mind.

It wasn't all bad, at least not at first. Jake was sweet, kind, friendly, loyal, I thought I could trust him, until I couldn't. But when he became violent, manipulative, controlling, I couldn't take it anymore, so I dumped him. But then he didn't know how to take no for an answer, so when I'd threatened a restraining order, he'd quit working at the Superstore and moved out of state. I haven't seen him since.

My mind transformed from days of him and me on our first dates, walking along the beach, the movies, concerts to see our favorite bands and singers, him meeting my mom. Us working together side by side as cashiers and floor associates. Tears sprung to my eyes as memories went from good to bad to worse. My breath caught in my throat as memories of us yelling and screaming at each other, him pushing me against a wall of his room, him always telling me what to do or how to act.

"Hey, miss, are you okay?" the Uber driver asked, and I blinked back tears as I noticed we had pulled up to my house.

"Um….yeah I'm ok. Thank you," I sniffled, grabbed my bags, and stepped out of the Uber. On my way inside my apartment, I rated my driver on the app and unlocked the door. I breathed in deeply and shut the door behind me.

I was grateful for an empty house, but I wanted to make sure my mom was really away. "Mom?" I called out. My voice echoed a bit against the apartment walls. "Thank God," I sighed as I walked past the kitchen, down the hall and into my bedroom. I flopped onto my bed after placing my bag near the edge of it, burying my head into the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Now that I have a little time on my hands with the 'Rona disrupting our work hours and daily lives for a while, I have some more space in my schedule to update this little story. I still don't have an outline, but I've found that this story works best without a set outline, just writing from the flow of it. **

**Stay safe out there. Wash your hands. If you're sick, stay home if you can. Don't go outside if you can't. Take care of yourselves.**

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Chapter 5

_I was grateful for an empty house, but I wanted to make sure my mom was really away. "Mom?" I called out. My voice echoed a bit against the apartment walls. "Thank God," I sighed as I walked past the kitchen, down the hall and into my bedroom. I flopped onto my bed after placing my bag near the edge of it, burying my head into the pillow._

A few days later, I walked into work and saw him again.

Edward was at the last register near the Men's section of the store wearing our store uniform and name tag, with Carmen showing him how to work the cash register. My breath caught in my throat as I sped past the front and ran through the Sportswear section. Sportswear was a big enough section, separated into smaller subsections: Pants and Jeans, Tops, Juniors, Women's Plus Sizes, Lingerie and Intimates, and Dresses. It was easy for me, who was kind of small and short to begin with at 5'3", to get myself lost and unnoticed. So I sped around the Dresses section and towards the back room to sign in for my shift.

I had a feeling Edward would get the job, but I was also hoping he wouldn't because that would make my life a little harder for my growing interest for him. Not that I was looking for a boyfriend or anything, but I couldn't help but imagine…

_Remember what happened last time you let your mind imagine? _I thought to myself and shook that bad thought away before more showed up.

I signed in and pushed the door open, bumping into Angela. "Oh, hey Angie."

She smiled as she moved out of the way. "Bella, hi. How are you?"

"I'm doing good. You?"

"Good, too. You know that guy started today." She smiled knowingly with a smirk across her lips.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking down and hiding a smile. "Yeah, I noticed. That was fast, I thought he wouldn't start until next week or something. I wonder how long he'll last."

"Maybe a good while, if you're still here by then."

"Believe me, I'm not looking for anything other than work this year. Forever, actually." I smirked. "And besides…you know what happened last year right? With _him."_ I could feel my breath shaking already. Why did I bring him up again?

Angela's smile fell as she remembered the drama last year. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry, I was just joking…"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. So can you please not, like, joke about him anymore? I barely know the guy."

She nodded too. "Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll stop or whatever." I sighed deeply in relief, shaking off the chilling feeling of the memories that I was still working through. "So you're closing tonight?"

"Yeah, again." I replied, rolling my eyes playfully. "You too?"

"Yeah. Looks like it'll be an easier night though."

I put my stuff away in our locker and we walked together to the women's fitting room to check how messy it was or wasn't. The fitting room was basically a long hallway separated into two pathways of four narrow cubicles with small seats on the inside. The hallway's walls were an off-white color, with the narrow cubicles and seats a tan color. Each cubicle closed with a door for privacy.

We walked up behind the cashier line to check our break times, past Edward's spot. My heart sped up a bit as I walked past him, and his head turned towards me as if he knew I was watching him. He turned to throw me a crooked smile before tending to the next customer who walked up to his table. I couldn't say anything back, of course, but I still smiled a bit before turning back to the break schedule.

Angela stayed behind to help with the line of people forming in the checkout line, while I left to go back to the fitting room to clean out some of the rooms. The hardest part of my job was picking up the clothes left behind haphazardly in the cubicles, hanging and sorting them by section onto a yellow rack, and literally pulling the racks from the fitting room onto the floor to run the clothes out. It was repetitive, tiring and sometimes exhausting, especially if the store was busy, packed with people coming in and out of the stalls.

After I finished one small rack of clothes, 2 long beeps over the loudspeaker sounded and Edward's smooth, velvet voice called, "Bella from Sportswear to register 12 for a price check."

My heart sped up in my chest all over again as I sighed deeply. Hiding a smile, I left the small rack on the edge of the floor and walked up to register 12, where Edward stood holding a floral skirt. On the other side, a young mother smiled a bit, while holding a little boy in her arms.

Edward smirked nervously. "Sorry, Angela's here so I didn't know who else to call."

I smiled too. "It's ok, I'll kick her ass later for abandoning me." I accused jokingly glancing over to her, making sure she heard that last part. On the next register next to Edward, I caught her sticking her tongue out before bagging her customer's things. I rolled my eyes and went back on the floor to the Junior skirts. I searched the Junior skirts for either the same brand or a similar-looking skirt, my eyes finally landed on the same skirt in a different floral pattern. I grabbed it, checked to see if it had a price tag, then walked back up to register 12. I handed Edward both skirts, and he scanned the one with the price tag.

"It's $7.99," He told the customer, who nodded and said okay. He handed the skirt back to me. "Thanks." His dimple popped out for a minute as his lips curled into a crooked smile again, and I could feel my cheeks heat up in a blush. I nodded, smiled back and walked away.

_Am I in trouble already? _My thoughts wandered. _This is going to be a long day. _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_It's $7.99," He told the customer, who nodded and said okay. He handed the skirt back to me. "Thanks." His dimple popped out for a minute as his lips curled into a crooked smile again, and I could feel my cheeks heat up in a blush. I nodded, smiled back and walked away. _

_Am I in trouble already? My thoughts wandered. This is going to be a long day._

At the end of the day, we locked up the store and stood outside the front entrance. I brought up my phone to call an Uber once again, only to receive three text messages and five calls from my mother. My heart shook in my chest, negative, worrying thoughts already approaching my head. Was she okay? Did something happen? What was wrong?

I clicked a voicemail and heard her shaky voice, "Bella…baby, I…I got into an accident picking up your sister and fiancé from the airport. We're at the hospital now….we're checking on the baby now. I'm…I'm alright, but having some issues breath…." The call cut off, and I heard ringing in my ears. Tears sprung in my eyes, and I could feel my face burning. My whole body sat still and shook at the same time.

"Bella? Honey, what is wrong?" Carmen's voice called, and I hardly felt her hand rubbing my shoulder. "Bella, talk to me, what's wrong?"

"I think she's in shock. Bella, can you hear me?" a new, velvet voice sounded, and Edward's warm face appeared with a hand hovering over my other shoulder. I nodded, but still couldn't find my voice. "Here, let's sit her down." My feet felt like concrete as we transferred to the bench near the entrance. Edward kneeled in front of me, taking my hand.

I snatched it away immediately. "Please don't touch me," I mumbled.

He raised his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I won't unless you ask. We're going to play a game, okay? Can we do that?" I nodded shakily, already knowing where this was headed. "Okay, it's a question-and-answer game, so I'll ask a question and you give an answer." I nodded again and sniffled. "What do you see?"

I looked up with blurry, weary eyes into his deep, green ones. However, with everyone crowding us, I glanced up and said another thing I saw. "Um…your red hair." My cheeks burned even more in embarrassment.

Edward smiled a bit, and I heard our coworkers chuckling too. He ran a hand through his messy hair once again, which made my heart flutter. I tried to calm it down. "Okay, good. What do you hear?"

I listened closely and distantly heard the crickets chirping out in the distance in the summer air. "Crickets. Somewhere." I said.

Edward turned his head slightly to hear them and nodded back to me. "Nice. You have good hearing."

"Thanks," I smiled nervously.

"Now what do you smell?"

My nose wrinkled as I caught a whiff of the smelly garbage on my right side. "Ugh, the garbage piling up."

Carmen and the others looked to the garbage too. "Eww, gross, remind me to call the cleaning crew in the morning." She remarked, a slight smile on her lips. Everyone chuckled along and got back to me.

"Now, what do you taste?" Edward asked.

I bit my lip and licked it. "Um…my lips, I guess." I mumbled. I could feel my breathing slowing down back to normal each time I looked into his warm eyes.

Edward nodded. "Good, now last one. What do you touch?"

I gulped as I reached for one of his hands. It was freezing. "Your hand, it's so cold." I said.

"Yeah, I get cold easily. I'm anemic," he explained rubbing my hand with his other one I wasn't holding. I suddenly noticed how crowded the space was and checked my phone again. "I should go, I have to go find my mom. I didn't even know my sister was coming." But then a moment in the back of my mind had me remember her baby shower was this weekend. But if there was no baby to celebrate….

I shook my head again, a sad attempt to clear it that only made my headache come back. "I need a ride home."

"I can take you, if you want. Or rather, which hospital are they at?" Edward slowly lifted me up off the bench, still holding my hand. I let go and called my mom again. No answer. The rest of the group started to go their separate ways, telling me goodbye and good luck on the way to their cars. I called my sister Leah.

After two long rings, she finally picked up. "Bella," her voice croaked, and tears blurred my vision yet again.

"Leah, what happened, where are you?" I cried. "What's happening?"

"Mom, Sam and I got into an accident. You know where the Quick-Chek is on Jefferson Street?"

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Yeah."

"Well, this idiot passed the red light and ran right into us on the corner. Sam got us out, he was amazing. But the car is totaled. Mom's okay now, but she had trouble breathing when she first got here. They're still running tests on the baby, but I'm okay."

I nodded again and sniffled into the phone. "Okay, that's good. Where's Mom? I need to talk to her."

"She said to go home, the hospital will call you with any new updates. Don't worry, alright? Wait, are you still at work?"

"I just got off. I—I need a ride." I paused and glanced at Edward, who got up to sit next to me on the bench. "My coworker friend can drop me off."

"Yeah, just go straight home, honey. Coming to the hospital will just upset you even more. Call me when you get home." Leah answered back.

I sighed a deep sigh, looking up at the stars twinkling against the dark, midnight sky. "Yeah, okay. I'll just call you at home then. Tell Sam thank you, too."

We hung up and I stood up to face Edward, who also stood up, his stance ready to take her wherever she needed to go. "Well, my sister, her fiancé and my mom are okay, I think. They're still running tests on the baby—my sister's pregnant—and she told me not to go to the hospital 'cause it might freak me out…" I sucked in a shaky breath, images of my family in the cold, too-white hospital rooms. I hoped they were alright. I needed the baby to be okay, too. I didn't even want to think about how destroyed the car must have been. I shook my head in an attempt to keep my thoughts in check and turned back to Edward.

He nodded, a look in his eyes that looked like he knew I was trying to keep it together. He gestured to his car, and we walked into the driveway to it. He opened my passenger door, where I slumped clumsily inside. His car smelled clean, like it was freshly washed and pampered every week. The darkness of the interior leather design enhanced the glow of the red radio buttons on the dashboard. Edward slid in the driver's seat, put on his seatbelt, and started the ignition.

Soft pop music started on the radio, which made us both jump a bit. He reached over to turn down the volume, cracking a nervous smile in my direction. I smiled a bit back, though I wasn't sure if it looked like one. I gave him my address as he typed it in his GPS app downloaded on his phone, and he reversed out of the Superstore's parking lot.


End file.
